Vibratory finishing machine

ABSTRACT

A vibratory finishing method and apparatus are provided for the surface treatment of workpieces with screenable treating agents wherein the treatment is effected and the treating agents separated and recycled for the treatment of other workpieces in the same apparatus by changing the nature of the vibratory movement.

United States Patent 191 Riedel [4 Sept. 23, 1975 1 VIBRATORY FINISHINGMACHINE [75] Inventor: Paul Riedei, Saint Germain en Laye,

France [73] Assignee: Oxy Metal Finishing Corporation,

Warren, Mich.

[22] Filed: June 1, I973 [21] Appi. No.: 366,036

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 12, 1973 France 73.08709[52] US. C1 51/163; 51/163 [51] Int. C1. 1324B 31/00 [58] Field ofSearch 51/163, 7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,328,922 7/1967 Ruppe51/163 3,553,900 1/1971 McKibben 51/163 3,618,267 11/1971 Hubner 51/1633,811,231 .5/1974 Kobayashi 51/163 Primary Examiner-Haro1d D. WhiteheadAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Johnston, Keil, Thompson & Shurtleff [57]ABSTRACT A vibratory finishing method and apparatus are provided for thesurface treatment of workpieces with screenable treating agents whereinthe treatment is effected and the treating agents separated and recycledfor the treatment of other workpieces in the same apparatus by changingthe nature of the vibratory movement.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 1 of23,906,679

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,906,679

VIBRATORY FINISHING MACHINE This invention relates to vibrator machinesfor treatment of workpieces.

Vibrator machines are used for example for the mechanical ormechanico-chemical or chemical surface treatment or workpieces; machinesof this kind comprise a tank, in which the required treatment operationis given, and a vibration generator coupled with a motor orelectromagnet or a vibrator which can be me chanical or hydraulic orpneumatic. The vibrations are so applied to the treatment tank that theworkpieces to be treated move therein relatively to the treatment agentsin a way determining the quality and speed of the treatment work.

In all treatment operations carried out in machines of this kindfinishing, polishing, grinding, crushing, screening, fettling, cleaning,glazing, drying, grading, coating and any other mechanical treatmentand/or preparation of industrial articles the modification or thealteration of surface appearance of workpieces disposed at random in thetreatment tank with the appropriate agents is produced during thetreatment phase of the operations.

The most awkward problem with machines of this kind occurs at the end ofthe treatment phase i.e., at the time when the two ingredients whichform the mixture in the tank have to be separated from one another, such'ingredients being, on the one hand, the finishtrea ted workpieces and,on the other hand, the treatment agents which can be re-used at leastonce, depending on circumstances. Sometimes, after the two ingredientshave been separated, all or some of the sorted fraction of the treatmentagents is, with advantage, recycled to be used for an identical surfacetreatment on a fresh batch of workpieces; some of the advantages of thisstep are improved throughput of each machine and, of course, reducedwastage of treatment agentswhieh are still highly usable.

It is known for the mixture of treated workpieces and treatment agentsto be discharged into a second machine having one or morescreening gridsfor sorting out the two ingredients, large items being retained on thegrids whereas the treatment agents, which are always or reduced size,pass the mesh and drop by gravity into a container whence they may ormay not be recycled back to the treatment tank. The disadvantages ofthis kind of separation are of two kinds. First, extra manual operationsare needed to transfer the mixture from the first machine to the secondmachine, and sec ond, the presence of the second machine ties up extracapital and requires an appreciable amount of working space.

One suggestion for avoiding these disadvantages is to use vibratormachines which can themselves provide after-treatment separation of thetwo ingredients of the mixture; for-this purpose, it is known to use amachine whose treatment tank is a vertical-axis helix; during treatment,the mixture,moves from the lowest part to the highest part of thehelix, then drops back to the lowest part to return upwards againgradually along the helical path. To achieve the required extent oftreatment, the mixture must climb the helix and drop back very manytimes, and the frequent drops of the complete mixture result in theworkpieces which are being treated experiencing a succession of impactswhich often lead to surface flaws such as dents and cracks and sometimeseven fractures.

One suggestion for avoiding this further disadvantage is to use avibrator machine having an annular tank which has a flat horizontal baseand which is so vibrated in conventional manner that the mixture movesin one direction during treatment and in the opposite direction in theafter-treatment or separation phase. ln its separation-phase movementthe mixture enters freely into a passage adjacent the tank, then comesup against a screen of a mesh size such as to pass the treatment agentsand retain all the treated workpieces. Ad-

vantageously, the treatment agents which go throughthe screen are thenrecycled directly back into the machine tank, but the workpieces areremoved for inspcc-,.

tion or classification or distribution or storage.

This invention relates to a machine of the latter kind and concerns moreparticularly improvements in orrelating to that part of the machineforming the sidepassage adjacent the treatment tank.

The invention relates first to a process for surfacetreating workpiecesand, upon the completion of treatment, sorting the ingredients of themixture comprising the treated workpieces and the treatment agents, themixture moving during treatment in an annular tank of a vibratormachine, such tank being in lower crosssection substantially half-roundwith its bottom lying in a horizontal base plane, the mixture moving, inresponse to vibrations continuously imparted to the tank, both inunidirectional displacement along the trough of the tank and also in arolling motion generally transverse to the displacement, and in whichafter treatment at least the direction of the rolling motion andpossibly the direction of the displacement of the mixture are rc-'versed by a change in the mode of the vibrations so that t the mixturepasses freely out of the trough of the tank, through an aperture whichis normally inaccessible to the mixture during the treatment phasethereof, and on to at least one screen which starts near the apertureand, there at least, is coplanar with the tank base plane and overliesthe bottom of a passage which extends adjacent to the tank and whosebottom is lower than the tank base plane, the mesh size of the screenbeing larger than the size of the treatment agents and smaller than thesize of the treated workpieces so that the mixture leaving the tank issorted by the screen, the treated workpieces being retained on top ofthe screen and the treatment agents being separated from the workpiecesby falling through the screen and collecting on the passage bottom.

Preferably, in the post-treatment phase, after sorting of the treatedpieces and the agents, the latter are returned automatically from thepassage, through the agency of the vibrations agitating the tank, to theinside thereof through the exit from the passage; after the phase ofsorting the treated workpieces and the treatment agents, the workpiecesare moved, through the agency of the vibrations which agitate the tankand the screen rigidly secured thereto, along the screen operativesurface from screen entry towards its exit and go to a reception zone,

This invention also relates to a vibrator machine for surface-treatingworkpieces and, upon the completion of treatment, sorting theingredients of the mixture comprising the treated workpieces and thetreatment agents, the machine comprising: an annular tank which is inlower cross-section substantially half-round with its bottom lying in ahorizontal base plane and which is mounted on a frame with or withoutthe interposition of resilient means; and a vibration generator formoving such mixture in the tank in a motion comprising a continuousunidirectional displacement along the tank and a rolling motiontransverse to the displacement; and in which the annular tank hasoutside its substantially vertical outer side wall a passage which isadjacent the tank side wall and whose bottom is lower than thehorizontal base plane, the interior of the tank communicating with theentry end of the passage by way of an aperture which is normallyinaccessible to the mixture during the treatment phase thereof and whichis freely accessible to the mixture during the sorting phase thereof;and at least one screen which, at least in the zone near the aperturewhere it starts, is coplanar with the tank base plane and overlies thebottom of the passage at its entry end, the screen having a mesh sizewhich is larger than the size of the treatment agents and smaller thanthe size of the treated workpieces, so that the screen, which isdisposed in the path of the mixture, retains the treated workpieces onits operative surface and passes the agents, the latter collecting belowthe screen on the passage bottom.

Preferably, the screen is flat and horizontal and is entircly disposedin the tank base plane; the screen mesh size can be either uniform ornon-uniform.

There may be two or more superimposed screen elements of different meshsizes, the top screen element retaining the workpieces while each lowerscreen element sorts or grades the treatment agents: the screen leads,preferably by way of a chute for the workpieces which have been treatedand sorted by the vibration, to a reception area for such workpieces;the lower part of the passage below the screen may lead at its exit backinto the tank interior via a return aperture which is normallyinaccessible to the mixture during the treatment phase thereof; thereturn aperture is provided with a door which is closed during thetreatment phase and is open during the sorting phase; the passage exitis preferably disposed, in the region of the return aperture. at ahigher level than the tank base plane, the bottom of the passage rising,relatively to the horizontal base plane, along at least part of itslength, in the direction upwards from the passage entry to the passageexit. The passage bottom may be upwardly inclined along part of itslength towards the exit, or it may be formed as a rising stairway orladder or the like extending regularly upwardly towards the passageexit.

The annular tank may be circular, or oval or polygonal.

The vibration generator may be driven by a motor or an clectromagnet, ora mechanical or pneumatic or hydraulic or electronic or electromagneticvibrator may be used. The vibration generator may be disposedsubstantially at the centre of the machine, at least to some extent inthe zone bounded by the substantially vertical tank inner wall;alternatively the vibration generator may be disposed at least to someextent at the tank periphery beyond the substantially vertical tankouter wall. The vibration generator can provide a first impul sion tothe mixture, in the treatment phase, such that the mixture in the tankmoves in a motion comprising a continuous unidirectional displacementalong the trough of the tank and also in a rolling motion substantiallytransverse to the displacement, whereafter the vibration generator canprovide a second mode of vibration during the sorting phase whoseimpulsion will reverse at least the direction of the rolling motion andpossibly also the direction of the displacement of the mixture in thetank. During the treatment phase the mixture forms a moving stream incontinuous contact with the inside surface of the substantially verticaltank inner wall, whereas in the sorting phase the mixture forms a movingstream in continuous contact with the inside surface of thesubstantially vertical tank outer wall.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, but onespecific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example onlyand with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

FIG. 1 is a plan of a vibrator machine embodying the invention, themachine comprising in this case a hexagonal annular tank around threesides of which extends a side passage for recyling treatment agents;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line llII of FIG. I with the vertical wallsof the tank partly removed to show the end of the screen for separatingthe two ingredients of the mixture;

FIG. 3 shows the machine of FIG. 2 when operating for the actualtreatment of the workpieces by the treatment agents, and

FIG. 4 is a view of the machine of FIG. 2 when operating in the phase inwhich treatment agents are separated from treated workpieces.

For a better understanding of the invention, throughout the followingdescription the invention will be described with reference to theparticular form of treatment used for finishing, polishing, grinding,fcttling and trimming of fashioned articles; the treatment agents usedspecifically for work of this kind are in the form of abrasive solidparticles which will generally be called hereinafter abrasives.

The vibrator machine illustrated comprises an annular tank 1 which inlower cross-section is substantially half-round and which has asubstantially flat and horizontal base plate 2. The tank 1 can becircular or oval or polygonal; in the particular case shown in FIG. I itis hexagonal. Tank 1 is disposed on a frame 3 with the interposition ofa resilient suspension, such as helical springs 4. A motor 5 secured tothe base plate 2 has on its vertical central shaft 6 a system ofunbalanced weights, namely a bottom unbalanced weight 7 secured to theshaft 6 and a top unbalanced weight 8 which cannot move vertically onshaft 6 but which can rotate there-around and which is adapted moreparticularly to take up seriatim the position 8a of FIG. 3 and theposition 8b of FIG. 4, according to the direction of rotation of motor5. The two members 7, 8 are eccentric of shaft 6 and at an angularoffset from one another, so that the rotating system embodied by themotor 5 and the eccentric members 7, 8 can, after adjustments of a kindwhich are now well-known, Co-opcrate with the resilient suspension 4 toproduce repeated vibrations which cause all the articles in the troughof the tank 1 to perform a complex motion.

In the particular case being described, the items in the tank troughform a mixture consisting of workpieces 9 and treatment agents 10, suchas abrasives.

If the motor 5 backwards (i.e. clockwise as seen in FIG. I) the mixtureexperiences in tank I a complex total motion comprising a continuousbackwards, e.g. clockwise, circular displacement motion 11 and a rollingmotion which is transverse to the displacement motion and which tends toapply the mixture to the inside surface of the tank inner wall 12, thesame being sub stantially vertical; the radial component of the rollingmotion is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 3 by the centripetally directedhorizontal arrow 13.

If after reversal of motor rotation the motor rotates continuously inthe forwards direction, ie anti clockwise in FIG. 1, the mixture is alsomoved in the tank 1 in a complex motion pattern in which the uniformcontinuous horizontal circular component of the mixture motion along thetrough may reverse into the direction 14 indicated by solid-line arrowsin FIG. I, the rolling component of the total motion also reversing sothat the mixture tends in this case to be applied to the inside surfaceof the substantially vertical outer wall 15 of tank 1, the resultant ofthe rolling motion being directed centrifugally, as indicated by ahorizontal arrow 113 in FIG. 4.

Due to the complex motion pattern of the mixture, there are relativemovements in its internal structure between the workpieces and thetreatment agents, the main purpose of such movements being to determinethe quality and speed of the specific treatment required for eachworkpiece 9.

The wall 15 of the tank is formed with a first aperture 16, extendingdownwardly as far as the tank base 2, and with a second aperture 17,which extends downwardly to terminate well above the tank base 2. Thedifference in levels between the bottom of the second aperture 17 andthe tank base 2 is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 2 by the height I1,this value is the height of a step 18 which is operative on the mixtureduring the sorting phase thereof, when the step 18 acts as an elementfor retaining the mixture in the tank 1. The apertures 16, '17 lead intoand from a single side passage 19 which extends part of the way roundthe tank outside wall 15. Aperture 16 leads to the passage entry end andaper ture 17 leads from its exit. The vertical walls of the passage 19are formed by three consecutive sides 15a, 15b, l5c of the tank outsidewall, by a front wall 20 substantially at right-angles to side 1511, bythree peripheral sides 2.10, 2112, 21 parallel to the sides 15a, 15b,150 respectively, and by a rear wall 22 which is substantiallyperpendicular to the parallel sides 15c and 210. The bottom 23 of thepassage 19 is lower than the bottom of the tank trough l at least in thezone opposite the first aperture 16. From aperture 16 the passage bottom23 rises, either in abrupt and consecutive steps to form a ladder orstairway or the like, or regularly and gradually as a slope 23a, as faras a level 24 which is vertically above the bottom of the trough of thetank by the height II, the highest or top level or zone 24 correspondingto the passage exit which is opposite the second aperture 17. A screen25 extends horizontally above the bottom of the passage at its entry endand from the bottom of the first aperture 16 i.e., the screen 25 startsat the aperture 16 and is coplanar with the tank bottom. Advantageously,the screen has a uniform mesh dimension which is smaller than the sizeof the treated workpieces and greater than the size of the treatmentagents, so that the treated workpieces are retained on the operativesurface of the screen whereas the treatment agents can drop through thescreen to be separated from the workpieces, the treatment agents beingcollected on the bottom of the passage below the screen. Advantageously,the screen edges are strengthened by a frame 26 which is at least partlyembedded in some of the vertical walls bounding the passage 19 in itsentry zone, inter alia the front wall 20 and the parallel edges 15a, 2luwhich extend well above the horizontal plane in which the screen 25 isdisposed. The downstream end 25a of the screen extends beyond thepassage 19, preferably by way of a discharge spout, to a reception areafor the treated workpieces disposed on the side of the vibratingmachine.

If required, a door 27 which is movable relative to the aperture 17 ishinged about a vertical axis 28 disposed on the vertical edge of thetank outside wall which is opposite the rear wall 22 of the side passage19. The door 27 is usually closed and keeps the second aperture 17closed during the treatment plasc, the door 27 then being normally openduring the sorting phase. This feature of the door 27 as an ancillarydevice is very advantageous if the parameter /1 is very small; however,there is no point in using a door 27 if the parameter h is large enoughfor the mixture of workpieces 9 and treatment agents 10 not to have anatural tendency to leave the tank through the aperture 17 into thepassage 19 during the treatment phase.

In the operation of the vibrator machine as hereinbefore described.there are two periods or phases, one corresponding to the actualtreatment phase, which is conventional, and the other to the separationphase in which the treated workpieces are separated from the treatmentagents such as abrasives.

The articles 9 for treatment and the abrasives 10 are placed at randomin tank 1 and rest on its annular horizontal bottom to form a body ofvery uniform height. The motor 5 is run backwards (clockwise in FIG. 1),the top unbalanced weight 8 being arranged in the position 8a of FIG. 3.Because of the vibrations produced in the tank, the mixture consistingof the workpieces and the abrasives experiences a continuous complexmotion comprising at least a rearwards longitudinal displacement 11around the trough and a rolling motion having the general tendency topress the vein or stream 30 formed by the mixture 9, 10 against thevertical inside tank wall 12. At the bottom the mixture'stream 30 isguided virtually exclusively by the half-round part of the tank. Thenatural tendency of the mixture stream is to remain in the tank, sinceit experiences inter alia a centripetal force in the direction 13, andso the stream 30 never tends to move near the apertures 16, l7-in thetank outer wall 15.

When the articles 9 have been treated by the abrasives 10 to an extentsuch that the articles 9 have a surface texture corresponding to therequired condition, the motor 5 is stopped, so that the tank 1 stops andthe mixture stabilizes temporarily on the tank bottom. The treatmentphase has heretofore proceeded conventionally, in a manner common toother known circular tank machines.

The advantage of the vibrator machine embodying the invention is that,for instance (and preferably) immediately after treatment, the abrasivesand the workpieces can be separated from one another without having touse a second machine or to fit the vibrator machine with extraequipment, The only adjustment to the machine needed to change over fromtreatment to sorting is to impart a different motion to the mixture, thenew motion having a centrifugal radial component so that the naturaltendency of the mixture stream is to be applied to the tank outer wall15 and therefore to flow freely through the aperture 16 which extendsdown to the bottom part of the tank base. To this end, the motor isreversed so that it runs forwards (anti-clockwise); also, the topunbalanced weight 8 is shifted into the position 8b of FIG. 4. Theselatter modifications are in themselvesordinary and conventional and canbe performed rapidly and readily. The new vibrations imparted to thetank are also imparted to the mixture which now forms a stream or veinmoving in a complex pattern comprising. for instance (and preferably) acontinuous direct movement 14 along the annular trough of the tank and arolling motion whose radial component is a centrifugal component 113.

As it performs its new complex motion in the annular tank, the mixturestream 31 is applied to the inside surface of the tank outer wall 15 andso of course reaches the aperture 16 and passes therethrough. Themixture portion 311! removed through aperture 16 reaches the operativesurface of the screen which is above the bottom of the side passage 19and lies in the plane of the tank bottom. The side passage 19, which isrigidly secured to the tank 1, experiences the same vibrations as thelatter. and so the body of material 31:! tends to move on the operativesurface of the screen downstream thereof, as indicated by an arrow 32;this movement of the material 31a is parallel to the rearwards motion 14which the remainder of the stream 31 experiences in the tank 1. As thematerial 31a moves over the screen surface, the abrasives drop throughthe screen meshes by gravity, as indicated by arrow 33, to collect onthe bottom 23 of the side passage 19, but the treated workpieces,separated from the abrasives, continue their movement along the screenas indicated by an arrow 34, and are removed near the downstream part25a of the screen to a reception area.

Because of the vibrations imparted to the side passage 19, the abrasives10 on the bottom thereof are subjected to a displacement motion whichtends to move the abrasives 10 along the passage from the entry end ofthe passage towards its exit end. Consequently. the abrasives first movehorizontally along the bottom of the side passage (arrow 35), and then,as indicated by a reference 36, rise up the slope 23a formed by thebottom of the side passage to the exit therefrom, to return to the tankthrough aperture 17 as indicated by an arrow 37. The return of theabrasives 10 back to the tank through the aperture 17 in the sidepassage proceeds freely if the aperture 17 is devoid of closure means;if a door or gate or the like 27 is disposed opposite the aperture 17,the body of returned abrasives tends to rotate the door 27 around itspivot 28 and thus enable the abrasive material to flow from the sidepassage exit to the annular tank over the step 18. Also, the abrasivematerial returned to inside the tank through the aperture 17 has theadvantage of forcing back any proportion of the stream 31 which mayaccidentally tend to discharge through the aperture 17 into the sidepassage exit end. Should any of the stream 31 drop into the exit regionof the passage 19 and not into the entry zone thereof i.e., afterseparation on the screen 25 the treated and unsorted workpiecesintroduced accidentally into the side passage will sooner or laterreturn to the annular tank through the aperture 17 and will be removedtherefrom through the aperture 16 and therefore sorted along theoperative surface of the screen 25. Clearly, all that is necessary inthis case is for the machine to run long enough for all the treatedworkpieces 9 to pass through the aperture 16 for separation from theabrasive composition.

Upon completion of separation between the two ingredients of themixture. the tank 1 and the side passage 19 contain only abrasives and anew treatment cycle can start with a new batch of workpieces. To thisend. the motor 5 is stopped and the new workpieces are introduced intothe tank at random. The motor 5 is then run backwards and the unbalancedweight 8 is moved to the position 811. When the motor 5 starts, themixture in the tank of course forms a stream 30 experiencing acentripetal force 13 and a rearwards movement 14', any abrasiveparticles 10 remaining on the bottom of the passage 19 tend toaccumulate at the passage entry against the front wall 20 and, becauseof the vibrations as indicated by reference 38, to rise along the wall20 to pass through the screen meshes, and then to enter the inside ofthe tank freely through the aperture 16 as shown at 39 to mix with thestream 30 and be operative on the new item 9 to be treated. In thissecond cycle the vibrator machine operates conventionally untilcompletion of the treatment phase.

Of course, the illustrated embodiment hereinbefore described can bemodified as required without for that reason departing from the scope ofthe invention; inter alia, and as already stated, the annular tank canin plan shape be circular or oval or polygonal, the tank bottom can beinclined regularly or have a step, the vibration generator can be of anyconventional type and positioned either at the centre of the machine orat its sides. The vibrator machine can also have two or more screenelements placed one above another and having different mesh sizes. theoperative surface of the top screen element being in the plane of thetank bottom; the top screen element, which has a larger mesh than thebottom screen clement, retains and separates the workpieces from thetreatment agents whereas the or each bottom screen clement whose meshdimension decreases from the highest intermediate screen element to thelowest screen element, sorts or grades the treatment agents, so that thefinest treatment agents can be removed from the cycling path whereas thelarge and possibly medium-sized treatment agents are returned to thetreatment path for reintroduction into the tank so as to give a furthertreatment similar to the first treatment just given. it

What we claim is:

1. A vibrator machine for surface treating a work piece and, upon thecompletion of treatment, sorting the ingredients of the mixturecomprising the treated work pieces and the treating agents, said machinecomprising:

a. an annular tank having a base which lies in a single horizontal flatplane, said tank having'substantially vertical outer walls andsubstantially vertical inner walls forming an annular passageway;

b. a frame on which said base is mounted in spaced relationship;

c. means forming a passageway which extends substantially half wayaround said annular tank and to a level below the level of the base ofsaid annular tank; 1

d. a vibration generator disposed with respect to said annular tankoperative to move a mixturein said annular passageway in a motioncomprising a continuous universal displacement. along the tank and arolling motion transverse to the displacement and to reverse thedirection of displacement of said mixture;

e. a first opening in the outer wall of said annular tank on one side ofsaid annular passageway extending upwardly from said base andcommunicating with said passageway of (e);

f. a second opening in an opposing outer wall of said tank extendingupwardly from a point substantially above said base and communicatingwith said passageway of (c); and

g. a screen extending tangentially in a plane substantially coplanarwith the plane of said base beneath said first opening in saidpassageway of (c) and projecting outwardly beyond said passageway of 2.A vibrator machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said second opening isprovided with means for opening and closing said opening.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which said opening and closingmeans is a door.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the bottom of saidpassageway of (c) is inclined relatively to a horizontal plane over atleast some of its length. the inclination being upwards in the directionfrom said first opening toward the second opening.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said annular tank ispolygonal in plan.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said vibration generator of(d) is a reversible motor.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said vibration generator isdisposed substantially centrally with respect to said tank and at leastto some extent in the zone bounded by the substantially vertical tankinner wall.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which resilient means areinterposed between said base of said annular tank and said frame.

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONPATENT NO. 3,906,679

DATED I September 23, 1975 VENTOR(5) PAUL RIEDEL It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 7, "or" should read of.

Column 1, line 46, "or should read -of--.

Column 4, line 63, after "5" insert runs-.

Signed and Scaled this sixth D y of January 1976 [SEAL] Attest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner uj'Parentsand Trademarks

1. A vibrator machine for surface treating a work piece and, upon thecompletion of treatment, sorting the ingredients of the mixturecomprising the treated work pieces and the treatIng agents, said machinecomprising: a. an annular tank having a base which lies in a singlehorizontal flat plane, said tank having substantially vertical outerwalls and substantially vertical inner walls forming an annularpassageway; b. a frame on which said base is mounted in spacedrelationship; c. means forming a passageway which extends substantiallyhalf way around said annular tank and to a level below the level of thebase of said annular tank; d. a vibration generator disposed withrespect to said annular tank operative to move a mixture in said annularpassageway in a motion comprising a continuous universal displacementalong the tank and a rolling motion transverse to the displacement andto reverse the direction of displacement of said mixture; e. a firstopening in the outer wall of said annular tank on one side of saidannular passageway extending upwardly from said base and communicatingwith said passageway of (c); f. a second opening in an opposing outerwall of said tank extending upwardly from a point substantially abovesaid base and communicating with said passageway of (c); and g. a screenextending tangentially in a plane substantially coplanar with the planeof said base beneath said first opening in said passageway of (c) andprojecting outwardly beyond said passageway of (c).
 2. A vibratormachine as claimed in claim 1 in which said second opening is providedwith means for opening and closing said opening.
 3. A machine as claimedin claim 2 in which said opening and closing means is a door.
 4. Amachine as claimed in claim 1 in which the bottom of said passageway of(c) is inclined relatively to a horizontal plane over at least some ofits length, the inclination being upwards in the direction from saidfirst opening toward the second opening.
 5. A machine as claimed inclaim 1 in which said annular tank is polygonal in plan.
 6. A machine asclaimed in claim 1 in which said vibration generator of (d) is areversible motor.
 7. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which saidvibration generator is disposed substantially centrally with respect tosaid tank and at least to some extent in the zone bounded by thesubstantially vertical tank inner wall.
 8. A machine as claimed in claim1 in which resilient means are interposed between said base of saidannular tank and said frame.